The Osceola times., 1887-05-28
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
Collision Between the Ocean
Steamers Celtic and Britannia.
Number of Passengers Killed and
Wounded-Story of the Disaster as
Cleaned from the Passengers-A
Dense Fog Mainly Responsible.

NEW YORK. MAY y i ne sNSauSAiP
Britannia. Of the White Star Line, which
eft New York for Liverpool on Wednes.
lay last, ran into the steamship Celse, OF
/ he same line. bound for New YORK, on
| Thursday morning during dense log, on
| Nantucket The Celtic was struck Just
] ,bsft the mizzen rigging, and badly dam
damaged. The Britannia, however, sus-
.ained even greater injury, and was
obliged to turn back 70 this port, arriving
/ n the bar with the Celtic about noon
yesterday. The captains of both vessels
we're on the lookout for other vessls and
| icebergs at the time Of the collision, the
/ log being unusually heavy.
Four grown persons and little girl, all
,teerage passengers on the Britannia,
we're killed and seven persons injured.
/ Two OF the latter. VIM. Lawler, aged
/ sixty-five, and Patrick Burke, aged forty
/ five. had their arms and legs broken, and
were brought to St Yincents Hospital,
this city. for treatment The ply sicians
refuse TO let them talk about the accident
The mail boat which brought them up,
also brought a number of the Britannia
passengers, including c. p. Huntington.
/ The two disabled steamships are an
chored of the Sandy Hook lightship.
The little girl referred to was the
daughter of Mrs. Robinson, Of Fall River,
Mass. She was knocked overheard and
drowned Her little brother had his arm
crushed Mrs. Robinson was with her
children on the Brittannic.
/ The collision occurred about eighty
miles from the main land, about of Nan
tucket The Britannia was on her course,
heading east by north, while the Celtic
was evidently lost and had her bow
poin ting about south. The first accounts
Of the disaster prove to have been incor-
rect in stating that the Celtic was run
into. The Celtic struck the Britannia on
the port side at the mizzen rigging, and
only a few feet astern Of the after end oil
the boiler room. The mizzen rigging, iron
work and all, was wrenched from Its
fastenings. The rail was torn from its
foundation as far aft as the ligger mast,
and the after turtle back was carried into
the air and overheard AZ though it was
made of pas steboard.
The blow was a glancing one, the prov
Of the Celtic striking at less than a right
angle. As the striking steamship glanced
along the side II rebounded twice in its
course smashing two small boats to
pieces aud bending the heavy iron force
pump that stood near the butchers quar-
ters over against the deck like piece Of
tin. As the bow struck the pump 1t
caught a steerage passenger, whose name
is not known, as he Qrresolutely in his
excitemenO was unable 10 get out OF the
way In time, crushed him against the iron
and cut the body completely in two.
A little girl of about eleven years named
Robinson, who was with her mother and
brother on her way to England for visit,
was also crushed by the bow, her face
and breast being split open through the
middle.
The scenes that followed are variou sly
described. Mr.. Z. Storey Smith, Of Bos-
ton, a passenger on the Britannia, was
seen at the ST. James Hotel after he had
been brought up with the other passen'
gers, both cabin and steerage, on the m all
boat He said:
There was a very dense fog at the time
OF the collision, and horns were blow ns
. continually. Between $50 and 9 p. m, or
Thursday, we heard the fog horn Of an
other vessel. went on deck and peered
, eagerly into the mist. There was a grea'
com motion on our deck. ! ran to the port
bow, but it was not for several minutes
that could see anything. Then l dis
tinguished the large black hull Of q
! steamer bearing down on US. Signals tC
slow up were given on our vessel.
We were proceeding at about
J regular fog speed while the
other steamer seemed to have little more
headway on. As the approaching vessel
discovered us she changed her course
somewhat and struck us obliquely abaft
the steerage gangway Rebounding she
struck again and again, but with less force
each time, and finally she slipped along
,tpHar aut nQrTlv
the other, the starboard side There
were evidently orders to launch boats, al
though | heard none given, tor half &
1 dozen boats were manned and launched
a.. The steerage passengers rushed for the
boats, but were driven bach
by the officers and crew and The
, ladies' allowed TO embark first Thre,
boat loads were taken TO The Celtic
and the fourth was ready, when Captain
Perry announced that there was no dan
, ger Of sinking. as the damage was con
! fined TO the fourth compartment which
D was full Of water. This quieted the 'pas
. sergers. Mr.. Smith believed that the
! killed numbered four adults and a LITTLE
girl. Some Of the steerage passengers
who are quarterei in lodging house il
West street at the expense OF the White
Star Line, tell a different story, and CLAIM
that the crew did not behave well anC
; monopolized the boats They also say
! that tho fog was not so dense, but tha
If p oper caution had been observed the
{ collision could have been avoided.
The men of the party sat around the
diugy office Of the lodging-house until &
= late hour rchearsing over and over agar
, their experience in the collision. These
: men said that at the time OF the accident
q. q. I'll. L,,s 49,
could see the Celtic two hundred feet OF
, more away They charge that when ef
forts were made TO lower the boats the
gear ran foul and rusty, as though 1t had
t not been practiced in long time. There
? was a sudden rush, they said, for the
boats until Captain Perry drew his re
, volver and threatened to shoot any man
who attempted to enter boat The crew
including the firemen and stokers, were
among the most prominent in the attempt
10 get into the boats. Some of them were
very violent A few succeeded, although
there were not a sufficient number Of life
preservers for the passengers. These
men, they said, seized any that they could
lay their hands on. One Of the mer
strapped life preservers around him and
was trying TO get into boat, when a
! passenger came up behind him and cut
the fastenings, and the spectators cried
: .Shamer
The wife Of the man who was crushed
against the pump, when she saw her hus
bands body tossed into the sea, became
frantic, and wanted to cast herself over
the side after IL.
There was great excitement evory
where, they said, and the crew were a:
badly frightened as any. Some of the
| women Mcre ON the mimi of inmninn In Il